Bispyribac is registered for postemergence control of broadleaf, sedge, and grass weeds in rice. Bispyribac inhibits the acetolactate synthase enzyme in sensitive plants. Herbicides in this class of chemistry require a spray adjuvant to achieve optimal efficacy, often achieve different levels of weed control according to the spray adjuvant used, and typically have rainfast periods of at least 6 to 8 h. Efficacy and rainfastness of bispyribac can be affected by spray adjuvant and the addition of urea ammonium nitrate (UAN). Greenhouse experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of spray adjuvant type, addition of UAN, and soil moisture on bispyribac efficacy on barnyardgrass. Control of barnyardgrass was improved when UAN was added to bispyribac at 0.4 or 0.8 g ha−1 plus an organosilicone-based nonionic surfactant (OSL/NIS) or methylated seed oil/organosilicone (MSO/OSL) spray adjuvant. The type of adjuvant added to the spray solution affected bispyribac efficacy on barnyardgrass. The addition of UAN decreased the rainfast period from 8 h (registered rainfast period) to 1 or 4 h (99 to 100% control) when either the OSL/NIS or MSO/OSL adjuvant was applied with bispyribac, respectively. Applying UAN and OSL/NIS or MSO/OSL adjuvant with bispyribac enhanced efficacy and reduced the time period required between bispyribac application and washoff during a rainfall event. Increasing soil moisture conditions resulted in greater efficacy from bispyribac when applied with and without UAN.

Laboratory and greenhouse studies were conducted to determine the effect of temperature, solution pH, water stress, and planting depth on broadleaf signalgrass germination. Broadleaf signalgrass seed required removal of the husk for germination. When treated with constant temperature, broadleaf signalgrass germinated over a range of 20 to 35 C, with optimum germination occurring at 30 and 35 C. Onset, rate, and total germination (87%) was greatest in an alternating 20/30 C temperature regime. Germination decreased as solution pH increased, with greatest germination occurring at pH values of 4 and 5. Germination decreased with increasing water potential, and no germination occurred below −0.8 mPa. Emergence was above 42% when seed were placed on the soil surface or buried 0.5 cm deep. Germination decreased with burial depth, but 10% of broadleaf signalgrass seed emerged from 6.0-cm depth. No seed emerged from 10-cm depth. These data suggest that broadleaf signalgrass may emerge later in the season, after rains, and could germinate rapidly and in high numbers. These attributes could contribute to poor control later in the season by soil-applied herbicides or allow broadleaf signalgrass to emerge after final postemergence treatments were made.

This research presents a modified floatation method to extract weed seed from soil samples and an automated imaging technique to enumerate seed following extraction. Rapid floatation of weed seed from soil in a K2CO3 solution was facilitated by centrifugation. High recovery of seed from soil samples was accomplished in a relatively short time. Recovery of seed of giant foxtail and velvetleaf from a silt loam soil was near 100% and recovery of redroot pigweed was 86%. Germination of common lambsquarters, giant foxtail, and velvetleaf seed was reduced by exposure to K2CO3 under certain conditions. However, these reductions do not appear to reduce the utility of this extraction technique. The automated image capture technique for counting seed showed similar limitations as with manual counting. Seed count accuracy generally decreased with increased number of seed and smaller seed sizes. In general, the image capture technique compared favorably with manual seed counting and has the potential to further improve seedbank assessment methods.

Seed of common cattail (Typha latifolia L.) germinated 100 percent when the blunt ends of the seed coats were ruptured. Seedlings developed primarily while submersed in water. Growth of the seedlings was rapid. A single plant in 6 months developed a network of rhizomes covering an area 10 feet in diameter. Pistil-late spikes 7 inches long produced an average of over 222,000 seeds.

We have developed a mathematical model for the plant vascular system that enables the prediction of a compound's phloem systemicity as a function of its partition coefficients and acid dissociation constants. The mathematical model can account for the sensitivity of systemicity to plant parameters such as plant size and pH of the phloem sap. This paper reviews this model and demonstrates how it accounts for the phloem systemic properties of most herbicides as well as that of many endogenous substances such as plant hormones. The model also can be used to design phloem systemic pesticides as illustrated for a pronematicide that successfully controls nematodes when applied foliarly to transgenic tobacco plants capable of regenerating the parent nematicide in a root specific fashion.

The widespread occurrence of Palmer amaranth resistant to acetolactate synthase inhibitors and/or glyphosate led to the increased use of protoporphyrinogen oxidase (PPO)-inhibiting herbicides. This research aimed to: (1) evaluate the efficacy of foliar-applied fomesafen to Palmer amaranth, (2) evaluate cross-resistance to foliar PPO inhibitors and efficacy of foliar herbicides with different mechanisms of action, (3) survey the occurrence of the PPO Gly-210 deletion mutation among PPO inhibitor–resistant Palmer amaranth, (4) identify other PPO target-site mutations in resistant individuals, and (5) determine the resistance level in resistant accessions with or without the PPO Gly-210 deletion. Seedlings were sprayed with fomesafen (263 gaiha−1), dicamba (280 gaiha−1), glyphosate (870 gaiha−1), glufosinate (549 g ai ha−1), and trifloxysulfuron (7.84 gaiha−1). Selected fomesafen-resistant accessions were sprayed with other foliar-applied PPO herbicides. Mortality and injury were evaluated 21 d after treatment (DAT). The PPX2L gene of resistant and susceptible plants from a selected accession was sequenced. The majority (70%) of samples from putative PPO-resistant populations in 2015 were confirmed resistant to foliar-applied fomesafen. The efficacy of other foliar PPO herbicides on fomesafen-resistant accessions was saflufenacil>acifluorfen=flumioxazin>carfentrazone=lactofen>pyraflufen-ethyl>fomesafen>fluthiacet-methyl. With small seedlings, cross-resistance occurred with all foliar-applied PPO herbicides except saflufenacil (i.e., 25% with acifluorfen, 42% with flumioxazin). Thirty-two percent of PPO-resistant accessions were multiple resistant to glyphosate and trifloxysulfuron. Resistance to PPO herbicides in Palmer amaranth occurred in at least 13 counties in Arkansas. Of 316 fomesafen survivors tested, 55% carried the PPO Gly-210 deletion reported previously in common waterhemp. The PPO gene (PPX2L) in one accession (15CRI-B), which did not encode the Gly-210 deletion, encoded an Arg-128-Gly substitution. The 50% growth reduction values for fomesafen in accessions with Gly-210 deletion were 8- to 15-fold higher than that of a susceptible population, and 3- to 10-fold higher in accessions without the Gly-210 deletion.

Germination of field dodder (Cuscuta campestris Yunck.) was investigated in field and laboratory studies. Germination plots established to simulate field conditions showed a rapid decline in the number of seedlings emerging over a 5-yr period. Less than 10% of the seeds planted emerged. Time of germination was correlated with temperature. The dormancy of seeds buried at various depths was found to be broken by overwintering. Older seeds and those close to the surface germinated best. Scarified seeds did not germinate at 15 C nor at temperatures of 39 C or above. Maximum germination occurred at 30 and 33 C. Scarified seeds planted at various depths failed to emerge from 3.8, 4.0, or 7.6 cm in the three soil types evaluated; the majority emerged from 3 cm or less. Seeds stored outdoors, at 3 to 8 C, or −3 to 0 C declined in dormancy with time compared to seeds stored at 15 to 25 C.

Data on the spread of invasive weeds into arid western lands are used to evaluate the environmental and economic importance of controlling invasive weed infestations early. Variable rate and constant rate infestation expansion paths are estimated. The implications of variable vs. constant infestation growth rates for projecting both biophysical and economic effects are illustrated. The projections derived from both constant and variable growth rate expansion paths support the contention that it is expedient to control new infestations early.

Annual bluegrass is a pervasive weed on golf courses in the Transition Zone of the United States and is difficult to selectively remove. For years, superintendents have applied glyphosate on dormant zoysiagrass to remove cool-season weeds. In 2007, a population of annual bluegrass in Columbia, MO, was not controlled with glyphosate after more than 10 yr of continuous applications. Greenhouse studies were established to compare the response of suspect glyphosate-resistant (CCMO1) and -susceptible annual bluegrass to glyphosate. Seedling plants were treated with glyphosate from 0 to 6.27 kg ae ha−1. At 21 d after treatment, reductions in biomass for susceptible annual bluegrass reached a maximum at glyphosate rates of 0.78 kg ha−1 or higher. Comparatively, the biomass of CCMO1 plants was only reduced by 50% at 0.78 kg ha−1, and reductions did not exceed 60% at rates up to 6.27 kg ha−1, which is eight times the labeled rate. At rates necessary to reduce plant dry weights by 50%, the resistance factor (RF) for CCMO1 was 5.2. Twenty-one days following biomass assessment, regrowth of plants was non-existent on susceptible plants at 0.78 kg ha−1 glyphosate or above, but CCMO1 plants reached 1.7 cm regrowth at the 6.27 kg ha−1 rate. Based on the regrowth, the RF for CCMO1 was 5.2. Results indicate a new species has been identified with resistance to glyphosate, and this represents the first report of glyphosate resistance in turfgrass.

The development of optimal weed management strategies that rely, in part, on crop interference will require an understanding of how weeds compensate for limitations in above- and belowground resources. Trade-offs in the leaf morphology and biomass partitioning of rice and late watergrass were investigated under glasshouse conditions in 1999 and 2000. Both species responded to shade with increased height, reduced biomass, greater partitioning of biomass to leaves, and greater leaf area ratios. At the lowest light level (18% sunlight), plants of both species showed little response to nitrogen (N). However, height, tillers, biomass, and leaf area increased for plants grown at 50% and full sunlight as N increased from 0 to 224 kg N ha−1. Late watergrass exhibited more plasticity in specific leaf area and root weight ratio than rice in response to shade. This plasticity contributed to the ability of late watergrass to maintain a higher percent of its tillers and total dry weight than rice when sunlight was reduced by 50%. These results support the hypothesis that except at low light levels, limited N further reduces the growth of shaded late watergrass plants. Thus, weed management strategies that limit the plasticity of late watergrass by manipulating light and N availability are likely to be more effective than strategies that rely on manipulating a single resource.

A survey of the fungal and bacterial flora of waterhyacinth, [Eichornia crassipes (Mart.) Solms] infested with two arthropods, Neochetina eichhorniae Warner (weevil) and Orthogalumna terebrantis Wallwork (mite) was undertaken to determine the role of microorganisms in the decline of this host in Florida waters. Generally arthropod-infested plants were more diseased, had smaller laminae, lower numbers of live petioles and higher numbers of dead petioles per plant than noninfested plants. Several parasitic fungi, including some known pathogens of waterhyacinth, and soft-rot bacteria were isolated from arthropod-infested and noninfested plants. Higher numbers of microorganisms were present on arthropod-infested than on noninfested plants. The fungi and bacteria occurred randomly on arthropod-damaged waterhyacinth. No vector relationship was discovered between the arthropods and any fungus or bacterium. However, Acremonium zonatum (Saw.) Gams a virulent pathogen of waterhyacinth, and other necrotic leaf-spot diseases (‘disease B’) were predominant on arthropod-damaged plants. Disease B was independent of the arthropods, while A. zonatum incidence on waterhyacinth in sample sites was related especially to damage by adult mites. The origin of the observed association between A. zonatum symptoms and mite damage on laminae is unclear, even though field observations suggest a direct relationship between them. The weevil was also capable of aiding A. zonatum infections by creating points of entry for this pathogen into the host. In laboratory tests, waterhyacinths could be killed by the combined effects of the weevil and A. zonatum, although death did not ensue in the field under existing levels of this disease. The combined effects of arthropods and diseases led to reduction in the photosynthetic area of waterhyacinth and under severe stress, to root- and crown-rots. It is recommended that the process of biological control of waterhyacinth in Florida should include an integrated approach, using insects and pathogens.

The main study objective was to measure the effects of tillage (moldboard plow, chisel plow, and no-till) and weed management (intensive, moderate, and minimum) on weeds and crops in a spring barley monoculture compared with a spring barley–red clover rotation. The study was initiated in 1987 and conducted at two sites. Residual effects of treatments were measured in a wheat test crop at the loam site in 1994 and at the clay site in 1995–1996. Weed seed bank densities ranged from less than 300 to nearly 30,000 seeds m−2 and plant densities from 30 to 6,000 plants m−2. Seven species were recorded on average per plot aboveground and 10 species per plot in the seed bank. Species number in the seed bank varied little with treatments compared with species numbers aboveground. Crop rotation and tillage had little effect on weed species diversity but affected relative species dominance. The presence and abundance of species was also influenced by their degree of tolerance to the herbicides used in each system. Annual dicots largely dominated in minimum weed management treatments. Their relative importance in each rotation varied with their level of susceptibility to the different postemergence herbicides. Perennials were not exclusively found in reduced tillage systems. The relationship between perennials and tillage was dependent on the response of perennating structures to the type and frequency of soil disturbance. For example, quackgrass dominated in chisel and moldboard plow systems where rhizomes would be frequently fragmented. Field horsetail, also a rhizomatous species, dominated in the monoculture/direct-seeded no-till treatment under minimum weed management. Its absence from the rotation was explained by the regular removal of aboveground biomass during the forage production year. Overall, weed response was regulated by agronomic factors but was largely determined by specific biological attributes and environmental conditions.

Controlled-environment experiments were conducted to determine the effects of soil temperatures of 5 to 20 C, seed depths of 0 to 6 cm, and above- or below-seed cyanazine placement on germination and seedling development of giant foxtail and velvetleaf. Giant foxtail did not germinate at 5 C and failed to emerge from 6 cm deep within 21 days at 10 C. Increasing soil temperature above 10 C increased giant foxtail germination and emergence. Velvetleaf germinated at 5 C but did not emerge within 21 days. Velvetleaf emerged within 21 days from soil depths of 2 to 6 cm at soil temperatures of 10, 15, and 20 C. Giant foxtail and velvetleaf seed germinated on a soil surface kept moist by mulch or frequent watering. Giant foxtail seedling survival was 100% after germination on the soil surface. Velvetleaf often failed to become established; only 28% of the velvetleaf that germinated at 20 C survived. Injury to giant foxtail by cyanazine increased with increasing soil temperatures and decreasing seed depths. Cyanazine placement above or below the seed did not have a consistent effect on giant foxtail injury. Cyanazine placed above the seed was more injurious to velvetleaf than placement below at 15 and 20 C. Differential responses of giant foxtail and velvetleaf seed germination and seedling survivability to initial seed depth appears to be a major factor in weed population shifts when tillage is reduced or eliminated.

Greenhouse studies were conducted to evaluate 14C-glufosinate absorption, translocation, and metabolism in glufosinate-resistant corn, goosegrass, large crabgrass, and sicklepod. Glufosinate-resistant corn plants were treated at the four-leaf stage, whereas goosegrass, large crabgrass, and sicklepod were treated at 5, 7.5, and 10 cm, respectively. All plants were harvested at 1, 6, 24, 48, and 72 h after treatment (HAT). Absorption was less than 20% at all harvest intervals for glufosinate-resistant corn, whereas absorption in goosegrass and large crabgrass increased from approximately 20% 1 HAT to 50 and 76%, respectively, 72 HAT. Absorption of 14C-glufosinate was greater than 90% 24 HAT in sicklepod. Significant levels of translocation were observed in glufosinate-resistant corn, with 14C-glufosinate translocated to the region above the treated leaf and the roots up to 41 and 27%, respectively. No significant translocation was detected in any of the weed species at any harvest timing. Metabolites of 14C-glufosinate were detected in glufosinate-resistant corn and all weed species. Seventy percent of 14C was attributed to glufosinate metabolites 72 HAT in large crabgrass. Less metabolism was observed for sicklepod, goosegrass, and glufosinate-resistant corn, with metabolites composing less than 45% of detectable radioactivity 72 HAT.

Methods of weed control and seeding of perennial grasses on rangelands infested with downy brome (Bromus tectorum L.) in Nevada and northeastern California were compared for 4 years. In this study, 1, 1′-dimethyl-4,4′-bipyridinium salt (paraquat) at 0.5 lb/A and higher gave adequate and consistent control of downy brome for establishment of perennial grasses. Disking gave weed control and perennial grass establishment generally comparable to that of paraquat. Weed control from furrowing alone usually was not adequate for establishment of good stands. Seeding in furrows combined with paraquat spraying or disking gave best seedling establishment. Establishment of intermediate or pubescent wheatgrass (Agropyron intermedium (Host) Beauv. and A. trichophorum (Link) Richt.) was better than crested wheatgrass (A. desertorum (Fisch.) Schult.). Precipitation in different years, site potential, and weed population at different locations influenced weed control and establishment of perennial grasses.

The effects of 1.24 kg ha−1 ammonium sulfate, 5 g ae ha−1 of the isopropylamine salt of imazapyr, and air temperatures of 18, 27, or 35 C at 40 or 100% relative humidity (RH) on the absorption and translocation of the ammonium salt of 14C-imazethapyr applied postemergence to pitted morningglory were evaluated. Absorption of 14C-imazethapyr was greater at 100 than at 40% RH (88 vs. 47%). At 40% RH, absorption was increased to 79% by the addition of ammonium sulfate. At 100% RH absorption was similar with all treatments. Translocation of 14C-imazethapyr applied alone was greater at 100 than at 40% RH (34 vs. 17%). Addition of ammonium sulfate increased translocation at 40% RH but not at 100%. Addition of imazapyr did not affect 14C translocation. Distribution of 14C throughout the plant was more acropetal than basipetal with the greatest distribution at 35 C.

Six Setaria species and varieties and three Panicum species were allowed to absorb 14C-labeled 2-chloro-4-(ethylamino)-6-(isopropylamino)-s-triazine (atrazine), 2-chloro-4,6-bis(isopropylamino)-s-triazine (propazine), and/or 2-chloro-4,6-bis (ethylamino)-s-triazine (simazine). The grasses metabolized the herbicides to water-soluble derivatives. Peptide conjugates were the only major metabolites formed by each species or variety; however, hydroxyderivatives of the herbicides were detected. The order of ability of the Setaria and Panicum species and varieties to metabolize atrazine and/or propazine was similar to the order of their tolerance to atrazine and/or propazine. Several Setaria and Panicum species and varieties formed peptide conjugates of atrazine and/or propazine to which they are resistant, more rapidly than they formed peptide conjugates of simazine, to which they are susceptible.

Rhizobacteria isolated from the rhizospheres of dominant weed species in six representative cropping systems and one native prairie ecosystem in mid-Missouri were screened for phytotoxicity on Lactuca sativa seedlings and their host plants in the laboratory. The proportions of deleterious rhizobacteria (DRB) were compared among different cropping systems to determine possible effects of crop management practices on the occurrence of DRB. Phytotoxicity screening on L. sativa seedlings revealed that an integrated crop management system with a Zea mays–Glycine max–Triticum aestivum cover crop rotation under no-tillage had the highest proportion of DRB at 25.3%, followed by an organic farming system with continuous Fragaria virginiana (strawberry) and organic amendments under minimum tillage at 22.9%. A continuous cool-season grass–legume meadow with no agrochemical inputs had the lowest proportion of DRB at 13%. Crop management practices that maintained high soil organic matter had higher proportions of DRB compared to cropping systems with lower organic matter. Phytotoxicity screening on host plants greatly reduced the proportion of rhizobacteria characterized as DRB, likely because of the high sensitivity of L. sativa seedlings to phytotoxins. Although screening on L. sativa is an effective method to detect phytotoxic rhizobacteria, our research indicates that it is essential to test selected cultures on their host weed species for accurate assessment of their occurrence in the field. Using this approach, we found that crop management practices influence the occurrence of DRB naturally associated with weed seedlings. Results suggest that crop production systems can be developed to favor soil microorganisms such as DRB that affect weed growth and thereby become important considerations in overall weed management.

Experiments were conducted on the seed of turnipweed collected from southern Australia. Seed germinated over a range of temperatures (25/15, 20/12, and 15/9 C) under both light/dark and dark conditions. Regardless of the light condition, germination of naked seed (63 to 88%) was greater than the seed in intact silique (0 to 13%). Seed germination was relatively unaffected (greater than 60%) at a low level of salinity (80 mM NaCl), and some germination occurred even at 160 mM NaCl (11%). Seed germination decreased as osmotic potential decreased from 0 to −1.0 MPa; however, some germination occurred even at an osmotic potential of −1.0 MPa (22%). Seed germination was greater than 76% over a pH range of 4 to 10. Seedling emergence of turnipweed was greater (60%) for seed buried at 1 cm than on the soil surface (23%). No seedlings emerged from seed buried at 5 cm. Information gained in this study will be important in developing a better understanding of the requirements for turnipweed germination and emergence.

This study indicates that induced disease resistance might be useful to control branched broomrape. Strains of the rhizosphere bacteria Pseudomonas spp. (Proradix®), salicylic acid derivates (Bion®), and extracts of the algae Ascophyllum nodosum L. (Goemar Fruton Spezial®) can decrease branched broomrape infection to 80%. Results suggest that agents working as elicitors for resistance in other plant–pathogen interactions by induced systemic resistance or by systemic acquired resistance also could reduce branched broomrape infestation. These findings suggest that activation of immune responses before infection of plants could be an innovative control method for parasitic weeds.